CandyCoated Booth
by jmbatt
Summary: Brennan and Angela get a little creative with some chocolate during a quiet time at the Lab. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**CANDY-COATED BOOTH**

It was the fifth week of no new cases for Brennan and Booth. Five weeks was more than enough time for Temperance Brennan to clean up her desk, finish the last remnants of paperwork related to FBI projects, answer all correspondence, as well as re-organize the lab, and even clean her apartment. In that same five weeks she had worked extensively in LIMBO, coordinating assignments for the interns as well as identifying many remains herself. And while the progress the group made was very rewarding and worthwhile, Brennan was ready for a something else.

To add to the monotony of the time, Booth was stuck in training at Quantico for the past three days, and had another two days before he would be back in DC. Brennan knew she should use this time for something other than moping around, but she couldn't seem to muster much enthusiasm for anything at the present time.

Temperance Brennan was originally hired by the Jeffersonian Institute to identify remains in the LIMBO storage area, and she could work there exclusively for many years to come and still not be finished. Right now, however, she was feeling a little bored with that particular project. She had been so accustomed to the challenges, and yes even the excitement, of working in the field with Booth and the FBI team, that now you could say she was 'under enthused' to be starting the 5th week in LIMBO. Of course, she would NEVER admit that to anyone, including Angela Montenegro.

At the very thought about the Jeffersonian's most talented artist, she appeared in the doorway of the anthropologist's office. Angela, it seemed, was just as bored as her friend. Ange had done the same clean-up to her office, home, car, and studio. She had been walking around the Lab and its offices for the past several days trying to find things to do to keep her busy. Yes, she had paintings she could do, just as Brennan had her latest book she could work on; but eventually they both tired of these pursuits and were looking for a little action of some kind.

"Bren, Sweetie, do you have _anything_ I can help you with?" Angela pleaded to her friend, before plopping down on the couch in Brennan's office.

At the sound of her voice, Brennan had picked her head up from looking through her middle desk drawer. She had been looking for a piece of candy, but it seemed she had already cleaned out her stash of butterscotch pieces. "What, Ange?" Brennan asked. She hadn't been paying close attention to what her friend had said as she'd made her way through the office.

"Sweetie, I'm bored... hey, what were you looking for there?"

"Sometimes when I'm bored I eat candy. I know I don't need the sugar, but today I just seem to have a taste for something sweet."

"Ooh, Bren, don't go there. Now you have me wanting something rich… and dark… and, oooh, chocolatey." Angela was perking up at the thought of getting her hands on some chocolate! She let her mind wander for a bit, and then spoke up. "Bren, have you ever made home-made chocolates?

Brennan wasn't quite sure what she meant, and the look on her face confirmed to Angela that she needed to explain herself. "You know, melt the chocolate, pour it into molds, decorate it? I haven't done that in years – it's a lot of fun actually."

"That is not an activity I have ever taken part of Ange. Why not just buy the chocolate as a finished product?"

"Because… it would be something fun to do. I'm tired of cleaning and organizing, and I want to do something fun and different. Come on Bren, do it with me!" The pleading, sad puppy-dog look to her eyes telling Brennan that there really was no way out of it. Angela was really starting to get excited at the idea of making chocolates, getting herself all worked up over it.

In truth, Brennan wasn't opposed to it so much as it was not an activity she'd ever thought about doing before. "_Well, there's a first time for everything – especially when Angela is involved in it"_ Brennan thought to herself.

Forty-five minutes later the two friends were at a local crafts shop, perusing the chocolate decorating isles. Brennan was amazed at the volume of molds, decorations, flavorings, and chocolates to choose from. It had never dawned on her that people did this kind of activity, but she could see the enjoyment in Angela's eyes as her friend looked over the inventory on the shelves.

"Ooh, Sweetie – look at this!" As Brennan turned to see what had captured her friend's attention, she saw Ange hold up a clear plastic mold of a badge in her hand. "We could make Booth a chocolate badge!"

"Ange, that is just a generic badge – it doesn't say FBI on it"

"But look at these" Ange pointed to small 'chocolate paint' tubes in another bin that seemed to come in a rainbow of colors. "We can write FBI on the badge after the chocolate hardens."

Brennan had come along with Angela because, at the time she saw no other way out; but now even the oft-reserved anthropologist was getting into the fun of the adventure. "Yes, they have a gold-colored chocolate paint!"

As they looked through the bins, Angela found a set of molds for a male figurine. "Brennan, look – here's Booth!" she said with way too much glee in her voice.

After another twenty minutes of shopping, the two women left the store with a variety of chocolates – white, dark, milk chocolates, along with molds, food dye, 'paint' brushes, and several other items they thought they might need. The woman at the counter had given them a copy of the chocolate mold instructions, and they were off.

A short while later the two women were back at Angela's apartment ready to create. They had taken the afternoon off of work, and so even though it was mid-afternoon, a bottle of wine had already been opened and glasses poured. After all, they reasoned, red wine and chocolate go well together!

Brennan sat on a bar stool at the kitchen counter reading the instructions. Angela tried to tell her that she knew what she was doing; but Brennan being Brennan, Ange knew she wouldn't talk her friend out of reading the pamphlet from front to back before they could proceed. This gave the artist time to pick out some music and relax the two even more.

After topping off both of their glasses of wine, Angela took the instructions out of Brennan's grasp and handed her a now-full glass of wine. "What kind of chocolate do you want to start with Sweetie? I think we should use this mold first, to get a little practice." She held up the police badge mold –it was a fairly simple mold so it would be good to start with. They prepped the mold with so that the confection would release easily once cooled, and then began melting dark chocolate in a double boiler.

Their first attempt was a great success. The chocolate badges came out of the mold easily and completely. They set the items aside to cool more before decorating. Encouraged by their success with the badge, they next decided to pour the 'booth' mold, as Angela called it. Brennan just rolled her eyes at that description, knowing better than to comment on it, and handed the mold over to her friend. Soon it was prepped, and chocolate was melting in the pot. Angela had melted some dark chocolate in a small pot, and when ready, she took the food paint brush and painted the dark brown goodness on the top of the head of the male mold. After all, she reasoned to herself, if she was going to create a chocolate Booth, she needed the hair a smoldering dark brown.

Once the hair was completed, the white chocolate was next. They filled the half mold and set this to cool. While waiting for the chocolate Booths to cool, as Angela called them they began to paint the badges. Brennan took a tube of gold coloring and did her best to spell out FBI across the front of the shield. It was trickier than she'd anticipated, to get the lettering even across the chocolate piece, but eventually she finished one. Ange wrote "Squint" on one, "World's Greatest Lover" on another (that one was for Jack, she told Brennan), and "Cam" on the third. She reasoned that they would be sharing the candy at work the next day, and since Cam was an ex-cop, she would appreciate having her own badge.

When the badges were completed, the friends turned their attention to the 'chocolate Booths' and began to decorate them. Ange took great measures to paint a tie, suite and pants on her booth. Brennan watched what the artist was doing, and the more she watched, the more she got into it herself. Brennan began painting crazy socks on her booth mold, along with an attempt at a cocky belt buckle. For all her patience at putting bone fragments back together, she was not as artistic as Angela when it came to creative decorating. Still, Ange was impressed with her friend's attempt at the belt buckle and socks. "Sweetie, anyone who knows Booth would know what that is" she said as she pointed her paint brush at the mid-section of the chocolate booth.

Eventually they ran out of chocolate, out of wine, and decided they had had enough fun for one day. Brennan slung her purse over her shoulder, gave her BFF a hug and a kiss, and was out the door.

The next day Brennan was at her desk when Angela walked in with a box under one arm. The scientist looked at it, confused. "Is that a box of donuts Ange? "

"No Sweetie, this is our work from yesterday – the chocolates. I brought them in to share. We never tasted our work yesterday – and besides, I don't need all this chocolate sitting around my house without any help at eating it." And with that, Ange set the box down on the corner of Brennan's desk and opened it up.

To Brennan's surprise, Angela had done some more creative painting after she'd left the night before. Ange had taken her smallest brushes and painted faces on the Booths', and played around with more of the chocolate badges as well. There was now a badge labeled King of the Lab, as well as Queen of the Lab, #1 Intern, and a variety of other labels. She had decorated chocolate pieces so there was at least one for each of the interns, as well as some of the other office personnel, and guards.

When Brennan looked to the far side of the box, she found that Angela had enhanced some of the Booth figures, in addition to putting faces on them. One in particular, caught Brennan's eye. "Oh Sweetie, that one is your" Ange gushed. She leaned over the desk to get a closer look at her handiwork, and smiled. "I must say, I did a good job with that one. Mind you, I have no first-hand knowledge; I just used my imagination."

Brennan glanced up at her friend, and then went back to studying the candy piece much like she examines bones on the platform. A grin covered her face and Ange could swear that Brennan even blushed a little, but that was ok because the artist knew that Bren was thinking about her partner.

The candy piece had a gun painted on the hip, and Angela had done a little sculpting on the torso to give him more defined pecs and a six-pack. She also endowed the groin area, and the whole piece was painted to look as if the figure was only wearing boxers. The two women discussed Angela's work for a bit more, but soon other staff arrived, and they put the candy piece back in the box.

Around 9:30 break time, Ange and Brennan walked upstairs to the break room, candy box in hand. Angela opened the box and offered pieces of chocolate to the staff. She gave Cam her personalized badge, and then let the interns pick and choose what they would want. In addition to the chocolate badges, Ange had made a tray of chocolate people, decorated in blue lab coats, to represent the Squints. Of course, the candy booths were left behind in Brennan's office! They had decided the staff didn't get to pick from those pieces!

Daisy jumped up and grabbed the "queen of the lab" badge – as if anyone else would want that one, Wendell and Vincent looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but said nothing. Eventually everyone had a piece of chocolate, and with their coffee, they had an enjoyable break time. Soon enough the break was over and everyone headed back to whatever they were working on – including Brennan.

At 4:30 Brennan was once again in her office, at the computer. Angela breezed in and took a seat in the middle of the couch, adding great flair to her moves in an attempt to gain Brennan's attention. Ange knew from past experience that her BFF could get so focused on things that the world could practically fall down before she would notice. Today was no exception. Looking for something to do to pass the time, Ange opened up the box of chocolates. She grabbed a white chocolate booth and waved it around in the air as she began to talk.

"Bren, have you tried one of these yet?" At that Angela took a small bite from the feet of the candy piece. This one didn't have stripy socks painted on it so she felt it was safe to eat this piece of candy. At the lack of response from the desk, the artist nibbled some more of the chocolate piece. She was up to the waist area on the chocolate booth when Brennan looked up.

"Ange! Stop that!" Angela looked startled at her friend, not understanding what was going on. After a few seconds, she looked down at the piece of chocolate and realized she'd been sucking on the length of chocolate and it probably didn't look good in Brennan's eyes!

"Oops, sorry Sweetie. I guess I got a little carried away there. I should just go back to my office now" and with that the artist pulled herself off the couch to head out the door. She stopped at the box of chocolates and picked out another figurine. This one had a blue lab coat on and somehow it had curly milk chocolate colored hair. "Come on, Bug man, you're coming with me" she said. Angela then turned and headed out the door.

Brennan looked back at her computer screen for a few seconds, trying to re-focus on the email she had been reading. It was no use – she could smell the chocolate in the box a mere ten feet away from her. It was calling to her and she couldn't focus. She got up and looked through the box of candy. The FBI badge was still there – Brennan was glad for that because it reminded her of Booth, and that made her smile. She was alone in her office, and so she didn't censor her actions – there was no one there to see it and so she gave herself an indulgence and smiled at the thought of her partner.

Turning back to the chocolates, she picked out the 'barely dressed' booth that Angela had created. She carried the piece back to her desk, sat down, and began looking over the confectionery character in her hand. "You look good enough to eat, do you know that Booth?" she said quietly, and to no one in particular. Of course, at verbalizing these thoughts, Brennan's head picked up and she scanned the room to make sure no one had heard her words. She shook her head at her silliness, and went back to the work she had been doing.

Brennan was wading through a number of requests for her assistance. She got this type of email at least a few times a week, and while it was monotonous, Brennan felt it important to respond directly to each one. She knew what it was like to be kept waiting, and so she tried to not let emails and other requests sit too long before she responded to them – even a no was better than being left to wonder, she rationalized.

Absentmindedly, she picked up the piece of chocolate and began to nibble at it. She started at the feet and was working her way up the candy piece, when she suddenly stopped. She looked at the chocolate and realized that she had eaten the piece up to the top of its legs. She was now staring at the torso of a piece of chocolate that Angela had designed to look like FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan had her hand on the hip of the figurine, and even though no one else was in the room, Brennan blushed at the site before her. She was literally eating her partner, and it made her cheeks redden at the innuendo.

After staring at it for a few seconds, Brennan seemed to get her courage up. She held the remaining piece of chocolate by the head, and licked and sucked at the chocolate candy. She licked the candy paint that made up the boxers on the figure, until they were off. She was about to lick the piece in a very naughty manner, when her conscious got the better of her and instead she bit off a good chunk of chocolate and ate it. Soon all that was left was the head and chest of the candy piece. She looked at it wistfully, wishing she was looking at the face of her partner instead of a piece of candy. She missed him and the time they spent together. She knew it was only a few days, but still, he had become such a big part of her life that she missed him when he wasn't around.

After a moment Brennan shook herself out of her reverie and ate the last bit of chocolate and got back to her work. Another half hour later and she was so immersed in her work that she didn't notice a figure leaning against the door to her office. He watched her work, drinking in the sight before him. She was so beautiful, so intelligent, so caring… Booth could feel his heart fill with the love he knew he held for her.

As if on cue, Brennan lifted her head and looked at him. To prove just how in tuned they were with each other, both broke into big smiles as they looked into each others' eyes. Booth made his way over to her desk but stopped short as he came to the box of candy pieces. He looked down and saw the badge, and then picked up the chocolate booth that Brennan had painted the day before. He looked over the socks and belt buckle and his face burst into a wide grin. "Bones, is this me?" he asked. He held up the figure and chuckled at it. "Did you miss me while I was gone?"

Brennan blushed at the suggestion, but didn't answer. There was no need, as it was obvious that he had been on her mind while he was out of town. "What are you doing back a day early, Booth?" she tried to change the subject, but he wouldn't let her.

"Bones, you didn't answer my question… did you miss me? I think you must have, to be dressing me up like this."

"_It was more like undressing you Booth"_ she thought about the last piece of candy she'd enjoyed. Brennan was about to speak when Angela walked into the office. She looked at the piece Booth was holding in his hand, at the remaining pieces of chocolate in the box, and told Booth "You should have seen the one she already ate!" With that, she nodded to Brennan, telling her without words, that she knew which one was missing. She gave her friend a saucy wink, turned and as she was walking out the door, said "Enjoy your evening, Sweetie. You too, Booth" and with that she was gone.

Booth turned to Bones with a questioning look on his face and wasn't disappointed when he saw a slight blush to her cheeks. "Come on Bones, let's go get something to eat. I'm sure you missed lunch, and I'm starving! And on the way, you can tell me all about this chocolate here" he waved at it as she pushed the chair away from her desk. Brennan got up, and he helped her out the door with his hand on the usual spot on her back. She was glad her partner was back. The real thing was much better than even a lustful piece of chocolate!


	2. Chapter 2

As they walked into the diner, a few of the waitresses noticed the couple and greeted them – all the ladies making it a point to welcome Booth back. They knew he was out of town because 1) Brennan ate many of her meals alone for the past few weeks, and 2) they had asked her where he was. The ladies behind the counter loved to watch the interaction of this couple, but they also had missed seeing the eye candy in the diner. They were all glad (for their own reasons) to have Seeley Booth back.

The pair took up seats in their usual booth and before they were hardly seated, their waitress brought two cups of coffee and water for them. All she had to say was "the usual" and with a nod of their heads, she was gone to get their food started. This gave the partners a chance to be alone with each other – even though they were in the middle of a busy restaurant. After taking a sip of coffee, both turned their eyes to the other and just enjoyed the sight. It had been a long four + days and Brennan had missed her partner.

"So, what did you do this week" they both began saying at the same time. "You first Bones" Booth said.

"It was a very quiet week. Of course, with you out of town, I didn't have any new cases to work on, so I spent most of my time working in Limbo. Together with the interns, we made great progress."

"Good. Good. I'm glad you had a good week. I was bored out of my mind at this conference. I knew most of what they were trying to teach us about these advanced interrogation techniques. To be honest, it was pretty much a waste of my time. That's why I ditched most of the last day and came home early."

"Booth! You shouldn't be doing that. It's important to stay for the entire conference. You might have missed important information that they were saving for the last sessions!" Brennan was beside herself at the idea that her partner wouldn't take full advantage of a learning situation. It just wasn't in her nature to leave a lecture, symposium or conference early if she could help it.

"Bones, come on now… remember – sometimes you have to enlarge your frontal lobe and do things like cutting out of a boring workshop early. It's necessary" he said with his best Booth charm smile plastered on. "You don't want mine to shrivel up now do you?"

"No, of course not" Brennan was falling for his logic, even though she knew it made no sense to her. Still, she trusted her partner and friend, and didn't want to disappoint him. "Actually, I was helping to enlarge _my _frontal lobe with Angela yesterday."

This got Booth's attention. He looked at her for a moment and then realized what she was talking about. "Yeah, Bones, what was with the chocolate candy in your office?"

"We made chocolate candy pieces yesterday afternoon at Angela's apartment. Neither of us really felt like working so we left the office early and did some baking."

"Hmmm, that's what you call it, do you?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Unbeknownst to her, Booth had actually been at the Jeffersonian earlier than when she first saw him. He had come in to see her and was standing outside her doorway – back a half dozen steps and a bit off to the side. He had stopped their because he'd received a text message on his way through the lab, and wanted to make sure he wasn't in hot water for leaving the FBI training conference early. He'd gotten a buddy of his, a guy named Gunn that he'd first met while at Quantico, to cover for him so that he could skip out on the afternoon sessions. Gunn had promised to sign his name to the roster. The sessions Booth was to attend were in large lecture halls, and he was confident he wouldn't be missed – he was dying to get back to see his Bones and so he'd taken the chance to leave ahead of schedule.

As Booth stood in the open lab area checking his text message, he happened to look up to see what appeared to be Bones talking to a piece of candy. He looked around – no, there was no one in the room with her; nor was there anyone in the hall that she would be talking to. That meant that she was talking to herself, or the chocolate piece she held in her hand. He was too far away to hear what she was saying, but when he saw her blush a bit, and then look around to assure no one had heard her, Booth knew it had to be something good! He was determined to find out what that little private conversation had been about. He looked back to see Bones eating the rest of the chocolate piece.

Booth's eyes were transfixed on his partner and what she was doing. Unfortunately, before he could interrupt her moment with the chocolate, he had to call Gunn back and find out what was going on. He stepped away from Brennan's office and walked outside to talk in relative privacy. After a ten minute call he was on his way back in when he got a call from Rebecca to discuss weekend plans. Booth was scheduled to have Parker for the weekend, but Rebecca had something to do that she needed to have Parker involved in – so no father/son time this weekend. That put Booth in a foul mood for a bit, and so he'd taken a walk around the grounds to calm himself down. Becca's call wasn't intentional, and he didn't feel she was trying to keep him away from his son… still, he was frustrated and so he took some time before making it back to his partner's office.

"What do you mean, Booth? Are you questioning how I got those chocolates?" Of course, Brennan didn't understand what Booth was saying, and so she didn't know how to respond to his question. She wasn't even thinking about the 'boxer Booth' candy piece she'd been enjoying before her partner came into her office. She was replaying the afternoon at Angela's apartment and the fun they'd had making the candy pieces.

"Ange and I bought molds, chocolate, and the rest…" before she could finish her explanation, Booth stopped her.

"I'm not accusing you of anything wrong here Bones" he grabbed her hands across the table as he spoke to her. "It's just that making candy is not your usual kind of baking, that's all I meant" and he squeezed her hands and let them go. The waitress brought their food and so Booth had to take his hands back to his side of the table. Brennan picked up a fork and began to eat her salad, while Booth focused his attention on the hamburger in his hands and they both began to eat. Brennan stole a good number of fries from him, and of course he let her. It pleased him to no end to have her feel so comfortable with him that she'd eat off of his plate. As he sat their watching Brennan take one of the last fries, he wondered what it would be like to have her feed him some of that chocolate she still had in her office.

As a smile grew across his face, an idea began to form. Brennan looked up at him as he was daydreaming about Bones and chocolate, and had to call to him twice before he heard her voice.

"Booth! What's with you? Was your hearing damaged this past week?"

"Huh! What'd you say Bones?" Booth shook himself out of his daydream enough to see that his partner was trying to get his attention. He asked her again after a few seconds, "What do you need Bones?"  
"I need you to get your hearing checked I think, Booth."

"Nah, I was just thinking of something. Come on, are you finished with your salad?"

"What, no pie today?" Brennan was truly surprised by his lack of dessert – especially after he had been out of town all week, she thought he might be in pie withdrawal, so she asked him that. "Booth, you always get pie when you come back here after being out of town. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Bones. Just not in the mood for pie. I think I have a taste for chocolate – do you have any of that delicious chocolate left at your office?" he said with a saucy grin.

The look in his eyes and the silly grin on his face had Brennan wondering what he was up to. Suddenly she thought back to her semi-erotic thoughts and actions with the candy piece earlier, and a pink hue overtook her cheeks. She turned to grab her purse, and turn away from Booth for a few seconds. The time allowed her to compose herself and as she put money down on the table, she avoided his eyes. Booth noticed the way she wouldn't look at him, and smiled to himself.

The walk back to the Jeffersonian was quick and free of embarrassing incidents or thoughts. Brennan sat back down at her desk, attempting to look like she was working. Booth sat on the couch and watched her. After a minute Cam poked her head in Brennan's door and announced that she was leaving for the day and said her goodbyes.

"Bones, why are you still working? It's Friday afternoon, you said yourself there wasn't much work to do this week… why don't we leave here?" Brennan really couldn't argue his point, so she powered down her computer and stood to gather her things to leave. She took a step towards the door when Booth stopped her with a look.

"What?" she asked him.

"Aren't you going to take your chocolates home with you B ones?" You don't want to leave them here all weekend, do you?"

At that Brennan reached for the box of candy, stopping before she lifted it off the table. "Here Booth, we made this one for you" she said as she picked up the chocolate badge with FBI in gold lettering.

"Bones, let's take these to your place and enjoy them there" Booth said, in a deep, husky voice that sent shivers down Brennan's spine. She didn't understand why his words would affect her so, and she felt her cheeks burn from a flush. She gathered up her belongings and headed out the door. Booth took the box of candy from her hands and followed behind her, grinning like a Cheshire cat!

Inside Brennan's apartment, the room seemed hot and stuffy. Brennan went to open a window to let some fresh air in, and when she turned around she bumped into Booth with a chocolate FBI badge in his hand. Brennan looked into his eyes for a moment and she could swear that his eyes were the exact same shade of brown as the chocolate piece in his hand. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and she tried to swallow but couldn't. Booth noticed her condition, but only let a ghost of a smile cross his lips.

Without taking his eyes off of her, he took a small bite of the chocolate badge. He closed his eyes to savor the taste. A small groan rumbled from deep within him and it made Brennan gasp. She had been watching him eat the chocolate, and found herself staring at Booth, and holding her breath. The whole experience was rather erotic – Brennan staring at Booth's mouth, as if she could taste the chocolate he was enjoying. Booth opened his eyes to find Bones staring at him, and he smiled. He looked into her deep blue orbs and felt he could get lost in them forever, and never want to be found.

Feeling that he needed to say something, Booth first licked his lips, and then asked Brennan "where did you get this chocolate? It's very good." Brennan was still preoccupied by his lips, and didn't hear the question. Booth repeated it, this time putting a hand on her upper arm. "Bones, this really is very good chocolate. I didn't think you could get quality chocolate at a craft store."

"Huh?... What?" Brennan knew he had been talking to her, but she couldn't focus on the words at the moment. "Booth, here, you have some chocolate on your face" and with that, she grabbed his arms and pulled themselves together to get the errant bit of chocolate lodged in the corner of his mouth. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have said that she meant to pick off the small piece of chocolate with her fingers; but as she drew him closer she couldn't let go of his arms. They felt so strong, so masculine; and Brennan hadn't felt anything that wonderful and sexy in a long time. She just couldn't let go. She held his arms for a good bit of time, all the while staring at the offending piece of chocolate goodness on his skin.

"Bones, did you say there was something on my face?" Booth went to flick it off, but she held firm to his biceps.

"Here, let me get it for you" she said. However, she still couldn't let go of him, so she brought her head closer to his, her mouth next to his lips, and with a slight sucking, licking motion, her tongue and lips captured the chocolate. She went back for a second lick just to make sure she got it all… and then as if she'd woken from a trance, she realized what she'd done. As Brennan began to pull back from him, Booth grabbed her by the waist and wouldn't let her move.

"Not so fast there, Bones. Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that Booth. I don't know what got in to me."

"No Bones, you should have done it a long time ago. And I should have done this" as he said the words, his mouth covered hers and captured her lips in the most passion-filled kiss Brennan could ever recall. His lips were soft, yet possessive. His mouth covered hers, and when he did that, it felt to Brennan as if she'd come home. Without her knowledge or permission, it was if her brain had been turned off and instincts took over. She kissed him back with an unknown hunger. Booth's tongue pushed against her lips and she opened her mouth to him. He hungrily took her and as his tongue explored her mouth, they both let out groans of desire.

A few moments later, a slight noise broke through their desire. Booth looked around trying to determine what it was; looking down. he saw the chocolate badge that had fallen out of his hand and fell on the end table by the couch. He looked at his fingers and saw they were covered in the chocolate that had melted while he kissed Bones.

Brennan followed his eyes to his fingers and saw the chocolate covered tips. Before he could say or do anything, Brennan took his hand and sucked his index finger into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the finger, licking the chocolate off, but also getting a taste of his skin. She closed her eyes in delight, pulling her mouth off of the now-clean finger. She quickly attacked his thumb, as it held the most chocolate now. She forcefully sucked the digit into her mouth, as if sucking on a nipple, and continued until it was cleaned.

After finishing off his thumb, Brennan looked into Booth's eyes. She knew they had both stepped over whatever vestiges of a line had been left between them, and she was surprisingly not scared. As she drank in the chocolate brown eyes of her best friend, she smiled as she said to him in a husky whisper "you taste better than the chocolate."

"And you do too Bones" he said, as he captured her lips once again.

A few hours later, Booth and Brennan got out of her bed. She threw on an oversized t-shirt and Booth pulled his boxers up. They had worked up quite an appetite in Brennan's bed, and both were a bit hungry. As Booth made his way through the living room to where Brennan stood in the kitchen, he spied the remnants of the chocolate FBI badge on the table. He picked it up and as he carried it to the kitchen, took a small bite.

"Mmmmm, Bones this really is good chocolate; but you are even better!" As he put the piece of candy down on a plate, he hugged his new lover to his chest. He still hadn't told her that he'd watched her in her office earlier that day; she didn't need to know that he knew beforehand, that she wanted him. She had him now, and he had her, and that was all either of them needed. They were finally past the line that he at first had drawn, and then she had put back again. Now they were together on the other side, and there was no line to keep them apart. Booth smiled to himself, realizing that all it took was a little candy to make his sweetheart come to him. He decided that he would be giving her chocolates again!


	3. Chapter 3

As she sat at her desk, Temperance Brennan absently reached for an M & M candy. She picked up a green one and looked at it before popping it into her mouth. _Hmm, green ones… Booth said the green ones are supposed to make you horny. I wonder why just the green ones? I mean, they all are supposed to 'melt in your mouth, not in your hands'… sort of reminds me of Booth! _

Two weeks had gone by since Booth and Brennan had obliterated the line and became a romantic couple. Yes, there had been awkward moments – it seemed both had a difficult time keeping their hands off the other, even while at work. One or the other would end up stroking an arm, or putting an arm across the shoulders, it almost seemed an unstoppable force that they couldn't control. For that reason, they had decided to not keep their new relationship a secret from their friends at the Jeffersonian.

Brennan had called Angela into her office the Monday morning after the chocolate booths had been made, and gave her the cliff notes version of her weekend. Both Brennan and Booth knew that Angela would squeeze information out of her best friend – there really was no getting around that. Angela was like a bloodhound and once she got a scent – in this situation once she knew the pair had been together sexually, there was no stopping her until she got some details. So Brennan told her an abbreviated version of her weekend, knowing full well that she would either lose her hearing when Ange started to squeal, or suffocate in a bear hug from her best friend; or worst-case scenario, both of those things would happen. Sure enough, Ange couldn't sit still and gave Brennan one of the strongest hugs she'd ever received in her life! The squeals of joy were not as bad as expected, because Ange was practically jumping up and down at the same time and the physical effort took away some of the force of her joyous cries.

The rest of the team was very happy for them and a bit relieved. The FBI was another story, and one that had concerned both of them. Booth just couldn't be sure what ADD Hacker would say about him and Bones being in a romantic relationship. He didn't want to lie or hide the relationship, but neither one wanted to stop working together. In the end, Booth called his old boss Sam Cullen and asked him for advice. He was so relieved when Cullen told him that it shouldn't be a problem; the FBI contracted for services with the Jeffersonian Institution, not with Dr. Brennan directly. That meant that while she worked under contract, there was enough room for interpretation in the ruling, that the couple could fight any pressure to keep them apart.

Cullen even went so far as to write up some arguments that Booth could use if Hacker wanted to be stubborn about it. He and Booth had a good laugh at the idea that Hacker might want to keep them apart for his own personal reasons – Hacker wanting another chance to date Temperance himself. Cullen laughed because he knew the man had no chance with Dr. Brennan even before she and Booth became involved. Booth laughed a different kind of laugh, because he knew there was no way in hell he would ever let Hacker even think the man had a chance for his Bones. He would quit the FBI before he let anyone else get within shouting distance of his girlfriend – especially Hacker!

In the end, after a serious talk between Booth and Hacker, the boss told him that his partnership with Brennan was too successful to break up and that Booth would not be punished in any way for dating Brennan. Booth decided to stay quiet and not call Hacker on the obvious grandstanding he was involved in. The main objective had been reached, and he and Bones didn't have to worry about a professional break-up and that put them both at ease.

To celebrate the good news of being able to continue to work together, Brennan decided to make dinner for them. They had cooked for each other before, but the majority of their meals (even now that they were together) ended up being at the diner, or take out at one or the others' apartment. They had decided to withhold any serious discussion about moving in together, opting instead to move back and forth between the two apartments for the time being. So while they still had separate households, they spent almost every night together. Making up for lost time was going to take a while and neither one liked the idea of sleeping alone if it could be helped.

Tonight's dinner would consist of a tossed salad, Brennan's wonderful (if not famous) mac-and-cheese, red wine, and chocolate mousse for dessert. The wine was organic, and the salad, main course, and dessert were all home made by the world's leading Forensic Anthropologist. She was an independent woman, wealthy enough through her book sales that she could afford to have all her meals catered; but she was really looking forward to preparing this meal herself. She felt it was a special occasion, and she wanted a special feel for it so hands-on was the way to go.

Booth was told that dinner was at 7:30 and he was planning to be there early. He loved to watch Bones in the kitchen; not because it was domestic, but because she was relaxed and at ease. Little did he know that tonight, Brennan was anything but relaxed. She wanted this meal to be perfect, and had been fretting about it throughout the afternoon. It wasn't the mac-and-cheese that concerned her – that dish she could make in her sleep and it would turn out good. And Booth would eat it even if it wasn't fantabulous – she knew that he was so enamored with the dish that he probably didn't even taste it, he just enjoyed it! No, it was the dessert that had her concerned.

Brennan was a decent cook, but no expert. She had made pudding plenty of times in her life, but the mousse was a little trickier. Adding to her worry was the fact that she was using egg substitute, and she was beginning to wonder if she should have picked a different item for dessert. The more she thought about it, the more she fretted that it wouldn't turn out perfect. And so to help calm her nerves, Brennan poured herself a glass of wine from a bottle that was already open. She had a nice California Cabernet that had been opened the night before, but still had plenty left in the bottle. The large wine glass was more than half full when she started sipping on it.

The next half hour was spent melting chocolate in a double boiler, getting the other ingredients ready, and finishing the glass of wine she had poured. A second glass in hand, and Brennan began combining ingredients. It didn't take very long and she was done and the chocolate mousse was chilling in th4e fridge. As she started working on the mac-and-cheese, the doorbell rang. "Come in Booth" she called out.

"Bones, how many times have I told you not to do that? It could have been a stalker or a killer out there" Booth said with a dismayed cry.

"Well, hello to you too" Brennan said in a sexy voice, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and moved to give him a welcoming kiss. Soon, Brennan was forgetting about her worrisome dessert, and Booth's concerns for her front door etiquette was a thing of the past. All he could focus on was the present – and at the present his Bones and her tongue were dueling with him and his. It was a battle that neither one was anxious to concede, and if it wasn't for the timer in the kitchen ringing them back to their senses, they might have forgotten all about the meal. They broke away reluctantly, each with hair mussed and cheeks a pinkish hue.

Booth followed her into the kitchen, like a puppy following its master. He was just so happy that she had pushed past her fears and given 'them' a chance. Booth had known for a long time that Brennan would be her own stumbling block to happiness. He had wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless for so long, that he often worried that they would never get a chance to be together. He was just deliriously happy that in a moment of pure reaction, she had made a move to lick the chocolate off his face – and from that one small act they had given in to their desires and were now so unbelievably happy together.

In the past two weeks they had had plenty of discussions. Brennan had lots of questions and concerns about going into a relationship with him. They had talked out a lot of her fears, and she was definitely more comfortable now and more at ease. Tonight was a way of showing him that she was at ease in this new relationship, cooking dinner and doing something just for him. The dessert was her concession to his sweet tooth; after all it was the chocolates that had brought them together!

Brennan turned her attention to the main course, and offered Booth a glass of wine. Once the casserole was in the over, Booth took their wine glasses in one hand, and her hand in the other, and moved to the living room. They were sitting so close their sides were touching. Brennan got a slight smile on her face as she leaned back and relaxed with her head on his shoulder. "What's that grin all about Bones?"

"I'm just enjoying the physical side of our relationship, Booth. Now I can touch you and not have to worry about what you'll think of it, or if it's appropriate or not." Brennan looked into his chocolate-brown orbs and got lost in them, letting out a contented sigh.

His eyes were dilating at the comment she had just made – she could make the most innocent statement and Booth would find something arousing in it. And when she said things like being able to touch him, well Booth could hardly contain himself. He wanted her morning, noon, and night – and he felt like a blessed man for the time when he had been able to have her like that one day last week! Thinking back to that day, Booth couldn't help but break out in a full grin, and now it was Brennan's turn to ask what the smile meant.

Instead of answering her question with words, he let his hand dip down from where it had been on her shoulder. He pushed her tank top strap off her shoulder, leaned over to the now bare skin, and began to nibble it with his teeth and lips. "Mmmm Bones, you taste so good, I could just eat you up" he said in the most seductive tone Brennan had ever heard. The sound of his voice, and the feel of his teeth scraping her shoulder, sent goose bumps all over her body. Booth noticed the effect it had on her - her breathing was rapid and shallow, her eyes so dilated that there wasn't much blue to be seen; and the raised skin on her arms was met with the higher peaks of her nipples. Booth was looking them over, ready to forgo dinner and move right on to Brennan. He swore he could live on his love for her alone. She was his air, his water… she met his needs like no one had ever done before – and he knew that no one else ever could in the future. She was his future, and that thought was overpowering.

The momentary lapse of intensity caused by Booth's internal conversation made Brennan turn to look at him. Booth had such a look of desire, combined with another look that Brennan couldn't identify. It worried her for a moment, until Booth focused his attention back to her. "Hey, I think I just got a little out of control for a moment, but I'm ok now. Don't worry Bones. " he took his thumb and ran it over her eyebrows, which were furrowed in a questioning look. He kissed her nose, her eyes, and her chin and then in one move rose up from the couch and grabbed her hand. "Come on Bones, I smell the mac-and-cheese, I think it's done. Let me at this wonderful dinner you made, because I want to make love to you for dessert."

"But Booth, I already made dessert" Brennan said. "You wouldn't want it to go to waste, would you?" Wisely, Booth chose not to answer that question, and instead opened up the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. They both helped to bring the food to the table, and after Brennan had doled out the salad and casserole, they ate in relative quiet. They chatted about mundane things – they had decided a few days earlier that if they weren't eating while working on a case, that they would try to talk about topics other than work. Their work was a consuming part of their life, but they had decided to try and limit the shop talk at times. Booth wanted them to expand their relationship beyond just work, and so far it was going well. They both used the time to tell the other stories from their past, little bits of information about each other that hadn't been brought up before.

After the plates were cleaned – Booth volunteered to remove the plates from the table because he wasn't about to let a single noodle or glob of cheese remain on either plate, Brennan got up and went to the fridge. She brought over the bowl of chocolate mousse and two cups. She put some in each container and before she could sit back down, Booth was digging into his bowl of chocolate. "Oh god, Bones!" he couldn't finish what he was trying to say, because he was enjoying the dessert so much. Brennan didn't understand him at first and wore a look of concern. She was about to ask him if it was any good when Booth finally pulled the spoon out of his mouth and grinned at her. "This is wonderful Bones! I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good before" he remarked.

Brennan knew that Booth was prone to exaggeration, but she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding while he'd had his first taste. Now that she new he liked it, she relaxed and got comfortable in her chair. She dipped her spoon in the bowl and took a taste as well. The mousse had turned out very well; it had a creamy texture that was pleasing to the tongue as well as the taste buds. Brennan took another spoon and closed her eyes as she focused on the taste. While her eyes were closed, Booth had been watching her. An idea came to him and he dipped his finger into the bowl of chocolate and began to seductively draw his finger down her arm.

Bones opened her eyes at the sensation, the shock of the cool pudding causing her to gasp. She didn't say a word though, as she watched Booth paint her other arm with more chocolate. He painted a swirly line on her upper chest, as if drawing a necklace on her. All the while, Brennan couldn't take her eyes off of Booth. The sensation of the cool pudding on her skin, and the look in his eyes as he painted her, was putting Brennan's senses on overload.

The next pass with Booth's finger was intercepted by Brennan's mouth, as she gently bit at his finger. She sucked it into her mouth like she had done with the chocolate a few weeks back. When she closed her eyes at the taste and feeling of Booth's finger, he moved in and slowly began to lick the chocolate off of her arm. Again Brennan was hypnotized by his actions. All she could do was watch and feel. By the time Booth had moved to her chest to lick the mousse necklace off of her, Brennan had found her voice but all she could manage was a guttural moan from deep within her chest. Actually, she felt as if the moan had risen from her lower belly – her whole body was tingling with sensation from what he was doing to her, and she was helpless to stop it.

After Booth had finished cleaning Bones up from his chocolate painting, he picked up the bowl of mousse and turned to face the bedroom. He would have taken her there on the floor, but didn't want to risk getting chocolate all over the carpet. Bed sheets are much easier to clean, he thought to himself!

"Let's continue this in the bedroom, shall we" he asked. With a smirk and a glance to the bowl of chocolate, Brennan looked back up to Booth and commented "channeling your inner Angela, Booth?" When he looked a bit confused, Brennan explained, "you want to do some more painting, am I right?"

"Yeah Bones, I want to paint this pudding ALL OVER your body, and then lick it off. " Brennan walked ahead of him into the bedroom, turned down the comforter and top sheet, and waited for the fun to begin.

Hours later, after the pudding was all gone, the sheets had been changed and the couple had coupled in shower, they lay in bed holding each other. Booth kissed the top of Brennan's head, snuggled in, and said in a tired voice," Bones, the dinner was great, and the dessert was fantastic!"

Brennan was half way gone in a sex-induced sleep, and all she could muster was an "a-huh, mmmm," for an answer. Booth smiled and held her closer. That was just the kind of answer he was looking for. He and his full belly (from eating all that chocolate) would sleep well tonight with Bones by his side.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Sorry it's been a long time since I updated this story. I'd actually thought it was finished, but I got inspired to write another one or two chapters. I should have one more chapter up in a few days. I'd love to know what readers think about this story, so if you are so inclined, leave a review. Enjoy - and don't blame me if you get cavities!

"This is really nice, Booth. The weather is perfect for a picnic in the park" as Brennan was saying the words, she leaned down until she lie flat on her back, hands tucked in behind her head, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, this sure beats lunch at the Hoover cafeteria, or even the diner. It's nice to do something different for a change, and now that it's not so hot, it's much nicer outside." Booth looked over as he was talking to her, and decided to join her on the blanket. He had come up with the idea of an extended lunch/picnic as a way to help expand Brennan's frontal lobe. It had become a bit of a joke now between them, ever since that evening when they did the supposed 'dine and dash' from the Founding Father's bar. Booth was actually quite proud of her, and how she was allowing herself to let go and relax. Bones was finally allowing herself to be lead by her heart, and Booth was the main beneficiary of that. While he watched the clouds, he also kept an eye on Brennan. He still couldn't' believe it sometimes, that they had finally moved past the 'just partners' designation – and all it took was a little piece of chocolate!

As they lay on the blanket looking at the clouds, elbows touching each other, Booth finally spoke. "Look Bones" as he pointed to a particular cloud. "That one looks like a horse. See, there, the head, and over there," he made a swooping motion with his hand and Brennan tried to follow him, "over there is his tail."

She sat upright, her weight resting on her elbows. "Booth, that is _**not **_a horse! I don't see that at all! Now, if you look at that one, to the right" and she lay back so that she could point better, "that looks like a rabbit."

"Where? I don't see a rabbit."

"Right there, Booth. See how the cloud puffs up? That's his little bunny tail. And over there" she pointed up to the side, "that's his ears. It's a fluffy white rabbit."

"Well, I'd like it better if it was a white chocolate bunny – you know, the kind you get at Easter. The first thing you do is bite the ears off!" Booth wore a huge grin on his face as he said this, and it was obvious even to Brennan that he was reliving a happy childhood memory. Brennan had to smile at his boyish behavior. He was just so deliciously cute sometimes! The thought made her act on impulse, and before she could censor her thoughts, she turned towards her partner and kissed him.

The smile Booth had been wearing faded away as it morphed from a grin to a kiss, and soon they were devouring each other's mouth as if it were their first meal in days. As a dog ran by and they vaguely heard him bark, they disengaged from each other and gave the other back their lips and tongue. Lying on their sides, they fought to control their breathing.

After a few moments, Brennan sat up and rummaged through the bag of goodies they had brought. Lunch had been consumed, but there were still a few things left to indulge in – including some small pieces of chocolate. As she picked up a piece, Brennan noted that it was very soft. Not completely liquid (yet), but squishy warm. Again that lightening-fast brain of hers came up with an idea that was just too good to pass up. She took a few pieces out and placed them on a napkin, sitting in the sun. That part done, she poured them each a glass of water from the big bottle they'd brought, and offered Booth a glass. He had been looking around, and while he noticed Bones rummaging through the bag he didn't pay attention to what she was taking out and arranging on the blanket, on the side away from him.

They sat there on the blanket enjoying the day and indulging in a long lunch break that neither was ready to end. As Booth lay back again on the blanket, Brennan stayed sitting up and acting as if she was still looking around. After a few minutes she noticed Booth starting to fade off. Perfect, she thought to herself, and an almost evil grin graced her face. She deftly moved her hand to pick up the stash of chocolate, and placed it above where she would lay her head. The 'equipment' in place, Brennan lay down with her head on Booth's shoulder and just took in his essence. She loved the combination of body cleansing products he used – shampoo, body wash, deodorant… and the personal scent that defined Seeley Booth.

As she relaxed into him, she gently rubbed his stomach and chest. Booth had untucked his shirt earlier, and Brennan used that to her advantage. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she raised his shirt up to expose his bare skin. After another few minutes she discretely began to unbutton his shirt. Booth was aware of all that his partner/girlfriend was doing, but he called upon his sniper training to keep still. He used that same skill set to regulate his breathing, to mimic as if he were asleep, and to keep a grin off of his face. The things she was doing to him made it extremely difficult not to move or let on that he was awake, but it was a sweet torture that he knew he wanted to endure!

After his shirt was undone, Brennan picked up a small piece of foil-wrapped chocolate and slowly began to dribble it down his chest. She drew lazy lines across his chest, down the valley between his pecs, and over his abdominal muscles that made up the sweet 6-pac abs that Brennan always had trouble keeping her hands off of. As she left a trail of melted chocolate, Booth couldn't stay still. The smell of the confection, and the feel of it on his chest caused him to breathe more heavily. He opened hooded eyes to Brennan and was greeted by a sexy smile from the anthropologist.

"I had a sweet tooth" she said. "I hope you don't mind." And as she bent her torso down, her tongue snaked out to lightly lick his chest. The lack of hair meant that she could lick and suck and be sure to get him completely cleaned up. Booth loved the feeling, and wasn't about to complain. Brennan stroked her tongue across his chest, from one nipple to the other. She had dribbled chocolate over and around them, giving her the excuse to suck and lick repeatedly over both aroused peaks. For his part, Booth was having trouble staying still. If this was torture, it was exquisite and he was getting excited from her touch.

After a few minutes, Brennan began working her way down Booth's chest, licking at the brown trail she had created. Booth moaned and called her name softly, every once in a while looking around to make sure they were not creating a scene. Luckily they had begun their lunch date after 1pm, and so most people had vacated the area of the park they were at and they had the place pretty much to themselves. Booth was never so glad for Bones' tendency to eat lunch late as he was today. He knew he could stop if he had to, but god, he surely didn't want her to stop what she was doing to him! "Oh Bones, that feels sooo good" he moaned.

For her part, Brennan was enjoying watching Booth get all worked up, getting herself aroused at the same time. They just might not make it back to work this afternoon! The sensation of licking Booth, tasting the chocolate on his skin combined with a little sweat, made her squirm a bit as well. She continued to kiss her way down his chest, twirling her tongue in his belly button. When she reached the waistband of his pants, she snaked her tongue just underneath. "Bones, you go any further and we could get arrested for indecent exposure and a whole list of other things" Booth said in a garbled breath. In truth, he was having trouble making coherent words form together. The way she licked and sucked the chocolate off of him, and just the feel of her body hovering over his, pushed his senses into overdrive. His hands fisted at his sides; he knew if he touched her it would be all over and they would end up making love in the middle of the park, in broad daylight. If he wasn't an FBI agent, he might have said _what the hell_ and ripped her clothes off.

To his surprise, Brennan stopped her sweet torture and sat back on her haunches. While she ceased the tongue exercises, her eyes were still taking in the feast before her and there was a predatory gleam that Booth instantly recognized – once he was able to focus again. "Booth, I think we've spent enough time outside, we don't want to get burned from the sun. But, I got a little chocolate on your shirt, so maybe we should stop at your apartment before we go back to work."

Booth was well aware of his parters' steep learning curve, and knew she was playing him. "Bones, I don't think we'll make it back to work today if we stop at my place first."

"Well, then, maybe we should call in and take the rest of the day off? I think I still have a bit of a sweet tooth, and I was hoping you could help me out with that" she said, looking at him in a way that made him feel like he was a specimen and was being examined. But Booth had learned that when Temperance Brennan did an exam of a body, she was completely thorough. He decided he would enjoy being given a once-over by the famed anthropologist!

Booth practically jumped up and started putting things away. 'Chop, chop Bones! Come on, I've got to go – I have a hot date waiting for me! Oh and just so you know – when we get back to the apartment, it's my turn with the chocolate!"

Brennan's head practically snapped up at that statement, and as quick as she could, she was up and shoving the last of the supplies into bags.

"What's your hurry, Bones?" Booth said with a grin. Got someplace to go?" By now the charm smile was in full force. Brennan picked up one bag, Booth took the other, and they each grabbed for the others' hand as they walked briskly to the car. As Booth stopped to deposit some trash into a receptacle by the parking lot, he saw the now-empty chocolate wrapper and smiled, thinking to himself "_oh, how I love chocolate_!"


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to all who have put this story on alert, and especially those few people who have reviewed it. It helps to know what readers think of a story and to get feedback (hint, hint!) I have come to the end of this one, but it was a sweet ride along the way.

Just for clarification – this is my story, but sadly the show belongs to Fox.

CHAPTER 5

The Hodgins estate was decorated to the hilt for Halloween. This was the first year that Jack and Angela were throwing a Halloween party, and with Angela's input, and the help of a small army of event planners, decorators, caterers, and god knew who else thrown in to the mix, the place had been transformed from the quiet home of a conspiracy theorist mega-millionaire, to Dracula's castle. Booth and Brennan had been over a few days earlier, to check out the decorations and help calm down the nerves of one incredibly rich bug man and an overly-excited Angela.

It seemed Ange was second-guessing the design, and so Jack had enlisted Dr. Brennan's help to get her settled and out of there. It had worked – mainly because Brennan didn't understand half of what Angela wanted to do, and in the end Ange had gotten frustrated and the two of them left to go do some costume shopping. Jack said a silent thank you to Brennan as they'd walked out down the hall and to the front door. That left Booth and Hodgins alone in the estate, so naturally they grabbed a beer and headed to the rec. room. While playing a game of pool (no bets allowed) Hodgins told Booth what his and Angela's costumes would be. He would be Dracula, and Ange was dressing up as Elvira, mistress of the dark.

Angela had tried to talk Booth into coming as Angel, a modern-day tv vampire, but he said he'd never cared for the show when it was on, so he nixed that idea. Booth told Jack that he and Brennan would be coming as a Prohibition-era gangster and a flapper. Brennan had wanted to dress as Wonder Woman once again, but Booth had delicately told her that four years in a row with the same costume was enough, and she had to come up with another costume. This way, she got to dress in another persona – it would almost be like going undercover!

The big day arrived and Booth and Brennan were the first guests at the estate. They had planned to arrive early to help with any last-minute situations that might come up; Jack was just glad to have someone around to help calm down Angela's nerves.

While Jack and Ange were putting the finishing touches on their costumes and makeup, the B's walked around the inside of the mansion from room to room. Brennan took note of the decorations, and what embellishments were where; most rooms had some kind of drinks available, and it appeared there would be food tables interspersed as well. The staff who would work the tables were all in the kitchen area, so the couple had the rooms to themselves still.

Most of the rooms had been darkened to add atmosphere. Cobwebs hung from corners, and the lighting muted with the help of multiple candelabras in the rooms instead of lights – no self-respecting monster would be caught dead in a brightly-lit room, after all! Organ music played out over the speakers in the room, and as Brennan walked out of a lounge room and into the hallway, Booth snuck up behind her. He pressed the toy Tommie gun to her back and in a quiet, sultry voice, said "hold it right there, lady. What'da ya think you're doing here?"

Brennan slowly turned towards the gangster and gave him a look that said she wasn't afraid of him or his gun. She grabbed hold of his tie and pulled him to her waiting lips. After giving him a blood-rushing lip-lock, she said "I'm here for a party, mister… what about you?" At that, Booth couldn't keep in character any more, and he broke out into a grin.

"Bones, you really like taking on another persona, don't you?" As he asked the question, he leaned in and stole another kiss. It was meant to be a quick little peck on the lips, but when he reached in, Brennan had grabbed his head, weaving her fingers through the short hairs on the back of his neck, and deepened the kiss. As their lips and tongues dueled, Booth unconsciously turned his partner and backed her up against the hallway wall. Booth moved his lips from Brennan's mouth, to her long, slender neck and began to nip and bite and kiss her, making Brennan softly moan. Soon Booth's body was pressed against hers, and she was pressing back into him. She felt a sharp jab on her upper thigh, and realized that he'd slung his gun back over his shoulder, so this was another weapon he was using on her instead!

The idea of making out in the hallway was exciting to her and she didn't want to stop but knew they should. When Booth brought his hands up from where the had held her hips still, traveling up the length of her tight black gown and gently cupping her breasts, Brennan knew they needed to either stop right then and there, or find the room they would be staying in for the night and well, stay there for the night! "Booth, we really should stop now. We came here early to help Ange and Jack out" she said with a frustrated sigh as their foreheads leaned against each other. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, but she knew there was always later that night to take care of their needs. For now, she needed a little space to help calm her racing heart down. As she looked up at Booth, she saw his eyes dilated and his breathing rapid. It was nice to know that she caused that reaction in him!

They could both hear staff moving about, carrying trays of food and drink and various party items. Brennan's eyes followed one of the staff as they brought a small fountain down the hall. She watched as the man put the object in a room two doors down from where they were holding up the wall, tucking away the information for use later on.

They separated their bodies from each other and linked fingers as they moved up the hallway towards the grand ballroom. A glance into a small room off the hallway showed other staff getting food and drink in place. They walked over and each got something to drink –Booth asked for a beer, while Brennan took a glass of ginger ale. She didn't know if she could handle alcohol right now. She was unsure that if she drank a glass of champagne, that she might end up dragging Booth off to a dark corner. As appealing as that thought was, she knew she needed to be around to help Angela get things started.

As they made it into the kitchen, they spotted Ange finishing up a glass of champagne. "There you two are!" she said excitedly. "I thought you'd run of somewhere or got your neck sucked by a vampire!" At that comment, Booth blushed a bit. To hide his embarrassment, he turned away from the artist. He was saved when Jack entered the kitchen area with Cam and Dr. Linder. They had dressed as mummies, both in matching costumes. Before Brennan could comment, Cam said "no doctor Brennan, we are not dressed as Anok and Matise. We are portraying mummies from one of your favorites, _The Curse of the Mummy_. This time however, the mummy brought a date." They all laughed, and Cam assured Brennan that she had told her date about Brennan's love of the movie in question.

They six of them chatted for a bit, and then Jack and Ange moved towards the entryway to greet the other guests that were arriving. Booth and Brennan talked with Cam and Paul for a bit, wandering through the rooms and taking in the decorations and all once again. They nibbled on various foods – Booth going for the sandwiches and more filling stuff, Brennan picking up some carrots and veggie sticks that were cut to actually look like fingers. She was good – she didn't call them phalanges tonight, nor did she criticize the shape of the digits. She was simply enjoying herself, and letting the scientist have a rare night off.

As they turned to go into another room, the two couples split up and it was just Booth and Brennan in one of the parlor rooms. As they made their way through the door, Brennan spied the fountain she'd seen earlier. It was now fully functional as a chocolate fountain. There were strawberries and other fruits to dip into the molten chocolate, and Brennan couldn't resist. She walked immediately over to the fountain and put a few pieces of fruit and some biscotti-type cookies on a plate.

She picked out a bright red, juicy-looking strawberry and called out "Booth, would you come here please?" As she called to him, Brennan had taken the succulent piece of fruit by the stem, and held it under the stream of dark chocolate cascading down the sides of the bowl. She turned it some, to ensure the confection covered the whole piece of fruit. A tiny bit of red could be seen on the top, followed by the green leaves and stem. Booth had been looking at the paintings on the wall – real ones, not props for the party, but stopped and made his way over to where his beautiful partner was standing. He stopped a few steps away to admire her in her flapper outfit. It showed off her curves to perfection, and Booth felt his _other gun_ begin to twitch once again. He just couldn't help it – now that he knew what she looked like beneath that dress, and he knew how her skin felt to his touch, he couldn't stop thinking about her and wanting her.

As the gangster made his way next to his flapper girlfriend, she drew the chocolate coated fruit to his mouth. As she held it for him to bite, they locked eyes and became lost in their own world; Brennan's hand holding the strawberry in mid-air, Booth with his mouth open but his eyes glued to the brilliant blues of his love. After a few seconds, the dangling strawberry fell off of its stem. Booth shot his hand out and caught the confectioned piece in the palm of his hand. As they both followed the path the berry had taken they moved in closer to each other. Brennan reached for Booth's hand and picked up the coated piece of fruit and brought it up to his mouth. Again they were held by the other's gaze, but Brennan was able to bring the food to his mouth. Without taking his eyes off of her, Booth bit into the offering. A drop of strawberry juice escaped, but Brennan's hand had been underneath it and she caught the sweet liquid.

Booth brought the palm of her hand up to his lips and sucked the juice off. He then licked her palm, in a long, sensual swipe of his tongue that went from the tips of her fingers to her wrist. As he stroked over the center of her palm, Brennan couldn't help the involuntary gasp that escaped between her lips. "You're not the only one who likes to play with sweet things you know, Bones" he said with a smirk on his face, and a hungry look in his eye.

At the challenge Booth had just thrown out to her, Brennan reached for his hand and examined it as if it were a piece of evidence in her lab. There was a glob of chocolate that ran from the center of Booth's palm, halfway up his index and pointer fingers where the strawberry had rolled when he caught it. Brennan separated the two phalanges and sucked one, and then the other, into her mouth. She used her tongue to twirl around each of them, doing a sensual dance with her tongue and his fingers. She moved them both in and out of her mouth, as if she were sucking on a candy cane. Booth let out a low growl as his eyes closed involuntarily. He couldn't move, even if he'd wanted to; his feet were glued to the floor and all he could do was stand there and let her lick his hand as he became unbelievably aroused.

After cleaning up his fingers, Brennan used her tongue and teeth to scrape the chocolate off of his palm; and Booth was again helpless to stop her if he'd wanted to. As she finished up, she looked up into his dark-chocolate eyes (yes, they were the same color as what was in the fountain) asking "would you like another piece of fruit, Booth?"

"Hell yes, Bones" was all he said. When Brennan reached for a slice of peach, Booth stopped her hand. "You are the fruit I want, Bones. I just thank God that you are not forbidden fruit any more to me." He said it in earnest, but Brennan didn't get the biblical reference at first. The quizzical look on her face was so cute that Booth couldn't stop the chuckle and grin that broke out over his face. As Bones began to speak, she was cut off by a warm, chocolate-tasting pair of lips overtaking hers. They explored the inner depths of each others' mouth, and finally broke apart to take in a breath.

Brennan clung to Booth's upper arms and leaned her head against his chest. Booth rested his chin on the top of her head, and as he tried to calm his breathing down he heard Brennan say 'that was the best chocolate kiss I've ever had! Hershey has nothing on you, Booth." They both laughed at her joke, and Booth put his arms around her and hugged her tightly to his chest. They stood there for another minute, before some of the other guests came in the room. The couple parted, but stayed close.

A few hours later, all the other guests were gone and Booth, Brennan, Ange and Jack sat on a long sofa in the library. They had switched to evening drinks – the ladies drinking sherry, while the guys nursed a brandy. "I hope you had a good time tonight you two" Angela announced. She had been busy acting as host, and didn't get to spend much time with them. "You know I would have loved to have been following around with you two – I love that you can be a couple, instead of "just partners." Of course Ange had used her fingers to make the quotation and then she laughed at her comment. They all joined in and all four knew that the partners moniker had been a cover for many years, until they were ready to take that next step. Booth pulled Bones in for a hug, and the room got quiet.

Once their drinks were finished, they decided to call it a night. The new couple was staying at Hodgins' estate for the night. Angela and Jack took the glasses to set on a tray, and as Booth and Brennan began to walk down the hallway they put an arm around each other and held close. They came upon the room that held the now quiet chocolate fountain and stopped to look at it. Booth leaned in to whisper into her ear, and asked Bones "do you think you'll get hungry for a late-night snack?"

Almost before Brennan could answer, Angela came up next to them. She hadn't heard the question Booth had asked, but as she looked into the parlor and spied the chocolate fountain a grin crept up on her face. By now Jack had joined them, and as Ange looped her arm in his, she told the bug man, "I might be in the mood to do a little drawing in bed tonight Hodgie… what d'ya think?" The smile on Jack's face was enough of an answer for her, but they began walking down the hall.

Booth and Brennan had yet to move with the other couple, they were standing in the hallway glancing at the chocolate. It had begun to solidify, and that seemed to make up Booth's mind for him. "Come on Bones" he spoke in a quiet, sexy voice. "I don't need candy to take my sweet to bed. Let's go get naked, explore each other, and see if we can't break the laws of physics." Brennan thought she'd never heard anything quite so delectable before, and as they walked on down the hall, the pull she had on Booth's arm was all the answer he needed. Candy had brought them together, but now all they needed was each other. It really was a sweet way to end the evening.


End file.
